“I feel honoured to have shared so many special times with you,” he wrote to his fans. “Bolton, Amsterdam, Munich, the list goes on and on. I, and we as a team, could not have achieved those moments without your support.

“Whatever the next challenge is for me, I will always be amongst you and have Chelsea in my home and in my heart. Hopefully, I will get to see you all soon to say goodbye properly. In the meantime, thank you for the memories and keep making history!”

This ends a chapter in the Englishman’s glittering career that saw him lead Chelsea towards three League trophies, four FA Cups, a Champions and Europa League title. Overall, Lampard has appeared in 648 games with Chelsea, scoring 211 goals.

Like Villa, who was announced part of NYCFC this Monday, Lampard, 35, has been consistently linked with the club over several weeks. The Mirror first reported his signing this weekend, and ESPN’s Sportscenter has followed that up, going so far as tweeting his arrival on their official account:

Frank Lampard agrees to transfer to MLS' New York City FC. Spain's David Villa is expected to join him. pic.twitter.com/JRrThdjtGa

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Sadly, there were those who did show a lack of perspective. Chelsea’s UEFA Cup home match with Levski Sofia was called off, leaving Frank Lampard, John Terry, Jody Morris and Eidur Gudjohnsen at a loose end they decided to fill with an extended drinking session that eventually ended up at a Heathrow hotel. There, the booze-sodden quartet’s antics offended a group of grieving American tourists stuck in the UK because of the flight ban and, not for the last time, converted themselves into tabloid pariahs. -BBC